In which a veteran of cultural studies seminars in the 1990's moves into academic administration and finds himself a married suburban father of two. Foucault, plus lawn care. For private comments, I can be reached at deandad at gmail dot com. The opinions expressed here are my own and not those of my employer.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

President Obama

When Barack Obama was born, his parents' marriage would have been illegal in Virginia. This Fall, he carried Virginia.

I've been accused of being just a little cynical. (TW mentioned that this marks the end of the 8 year long relationship between her butt and President Bush's face. No more annual state-of-the-mooning.) Today, I'm glad to put that aside.

We need hope, and we need it now.

In some ways, it's already flickering. A President who believes in science, and who appoints science advisors who actually know what they're talking about, is already a refreshing change. A President who isn't afraid to be publicly and conspicuously literate, who wears his intelligence with quiet confidence, inspires confidence. And a President who isn't afraid to surround himself with smart, experienced people – without getting subsumed by them – does this academic's heart good.

It's a hell of a time to take over. The economy is in free-fall, we're fighting multiple wars, and there's no obvious way out of either. The healthcare system is a bad joke, we're addicted to oil, and the boomers are on the cusp of retiring. We've spent the last eight years systematically isolating ourselves from our allies. The job won't be easy.

Good luck, President Obama. You've got your work cut out for you. Some of us are rooting for you enough that we're even surprised at ourselves.

It's a busy day, with the semester just starting. But I'll take a moment at noon and watch history happen. It's time.